Modal verbs

A modal verb is one that, contextually, indicates a

modality such as a likelihood, ability, permission,
request, capacity, suggestion, order, obligation,
necessity, possibility or advice. They generally
accompany the base form of another verb having
semantic content. Modal verbs are verbs like should,
can, could, must, will and some others.

In the statement “you must leave,” “must” is a modal

verb indicating that it's necessary for the subject
(“you”) to perform the action of the verb (“leave”).

'Be' and 'have' aren’t modal verbs but can be used as

auxiliary.
 The rule of modals
For basic sentences in the simple present tense just
remember these rules:
-Modal verbs come directly before the main verb
except for in questions.
-With modal verbs, use the infinitive form of the main
verb.
-With most but not all modal verbs, to is dropped from
the infinitive (we don't write it).
We use modals to show if we believe something is
certain, possible or impossible:
•My keys must be in the car.
Modal verb Should
•Should is used to indicate obligation, duty or correctness, typically when criticizing.
"He should have been careful".
•It is also used to indicate what is probable.
"$348 million should be enough to buy him out".
•Should is usually followed by an infinitive without “to”:
You should eat more fresh fruit.
•Sometimes should is used without a following infinitive:
I don’t always do everything I should.
•Should don't change its form, the third person doesn't end in “-s”:
She should see a doctor about that cough.
•Questions and negatives are formed without “do”:
Should we come back later?
You should not bring up embarrassing topics.
•The negative form should not is often shortened to shouldn’t:
Those kids shouldn’t be in there.
•Should is often used in tag questions:
We should leave a tip, shouldn’t we?
•Should has no participles and no infinitive form.

There is no past tense, but should have followed by a past participle can be used for
referring to actions that did not happen or for actions that have probably happened:
I should have brought an umbrella
I did not bring one.
The meeting should have finished by now
It is likely it has ended.

When indirect speech is introduced by a verb in the past tense, should can be used
as the past tense of shall:
I explained that I should be too busy to see them the following day.
 Uses of Should
1. Used for talking about what is right, sensible, or correct.
a. Used for saying or asking about the right or sensible thing to do or the right way
to behave:
•It’s an amazing book – you should read it.
•You shouldn’t drive so fast.
•What should I do? Should I look for another job?
b. Used for saying what is correct, especially when the situation is different from
this:
•There should be a comma after “Yours sincerely.”
•The total should come to $728.50.
2. Used when you have strong reasons for believing or expecting something:
•There should be a knife in the drawer.
•Sheila’s a brilliant student – she should graduate with honors.
•should have (done something): They should have gotten home by now.
•That was disappointing – we should have won that game easily.
3. Used after “if” or instead of “if” for describing a situation that may possibly
happen:
•Should you need help, do not hesitate to call me.
•If anything should happen to me, please give this letter to my wife.
4. Used for saying what someone thinks is important:
•It is essential that we should protect the environment.
•Curtiz was determined that Ingrid should star in the new movie.
5. Used for saying what someone decides, suggests, or orders:
•The committee recommended that the chief executive should be dismissed.
•Our orders were that we should advance toward San Pedro.
6. Used for describing a fact or event that someone has a particular feeling or
opinion about:
•Claudia was shocked that anyone should believe such a scandalous story.
•It’s odd you should mention Ben – I was just thinking about him.
7. Formal: used for saying what the purpose of an action is:
•He used a false name so that no one should discover his secret.
8. BRITISH used for polite requests or statements about what you prefer:
•I should be grateful for a prompt reply.
•I should like to introduce our guest speaker.
9. BRITISH used for saying what you would do or how you would feel in a
situation that you imagine:
•If we had stayed any longer, we should have missed our train.
10. BRITISH used about a situation in the past when you said or knew what you
would do or what would happen:
•We realized that we should have to pay a large sum to the lawyers.
PHRASE STRUCTURE
I should think/imagine/hope
should have (done something)
who/what should...?
why should someone do something?
you should have seen/heard
you shouldn’t (have)
Modal verb Can
Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use can to:

•Talk about possibility and ability

•Make requests

•Ask for or give permission

Structure of can

The basic structure for can is:

subject + auxiliary modal verb CAN + main verb

Notice that:

•Can is invariable. There is only one form: can

•The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to).
 subject auxiliary modal verb can main verb

+ I can play basketball

- He cannot / can't play basketball

? Can you play basketball?

Use of can
Can for possibility and ability
We use can to talk about what is possible, what we are able or free to do:
•John can speak Spanish.
•I cannot hear you. (I can't hear you.)
•Can you hear me?
Normally, we use can for the present. But it is possible to use can when we make
present decisions about future ability.
a. Can you help me with my homework? (present)
b. Sorry. I'm busy today. But I can help you tomorrow. (future)
 Can for requests and orders

We often use can in a question to ask somebody to do something. This is not a real
question - we don't want to know if the person is able to do something, we want them
to do it!- The use of can in this way is informal (mainly between friends and family):

•Can you make a cup of coffee, please.

•Can you put the TV on.

•Can you come here a minute.

•Can you be quiet!

Can for permission

We sometimes use can to ask or give permission for something:

a. Can I smoke in this room?

b. You can't smoke here, but you can smoke in the garden.

(Note that we also use could, may, might for permission. The use of can for
permission is informal.)
Modal verb Could
Could is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use could to:

•Talk about past possibility or ability

•Make requests

Structure of could

The basic structure for could is:

subject + auxiliary modal verb COULD + main verb

Notice that:

•Could is invariable. There is only one form: could

•The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to).

subject auxiliary modal verb could main verb

+ My grandmother could swim

- She could not / couldn't swim

? Could your grandmother swim?

 Use of could

Could for past possibility or ability

We use could to talk about what was possible in the past, what we were
able or free to do:

•I could swim when I was 5 years old.

•My grandmother could speak seven languages.

•When we arrived home, we could not open the door. (...couldn't open the
door.)

•Could you understand what he was saying?

Note: We use I (positive) and couldn't (negative) for general ability in the
past. But when we talk about one special occasion in the past, we use be
able to (positive) and couldn't (negative).
Look at these examples:

past
general specific ocassion
+ My grandma could speak Spanish. A man fell into the river
yesterday.
The police were able to save
him.
- My grandma couldn't speak Spanish. A man fell into the river
yesterday.
The police couldn't save him.

Could for requests

We often use could in a question to ask somebody to do something. The

use of could in this way is fairly polite (formal):

•Could you tell me where the bank is, please?

•Could you send me a catalogue, please?

Modal verb Must
 "Must" is a modal verb most commonly used to express certainty. It can also be
used to express necessity or strong recommendation, although native speakers
prefer the more flexible form "have to." "Must not" can be used to prohibit actions.
Must speakers prefer to use softer modal verbs such as "should not" or "ought not"
to dissuade rather than prohibit.
•This must be the right address! certainty
•Students must pass an entrance examination to study here. necessity
•You must take some medicine for that cough. strong recommendation
•Jenny, you must not play in the street! Prohibition

"Must not" vs. "Do not have to"

"Must not" suggests that you are prohibited from doing something. "Don't have to"
suggests that someone is not required to do something.
•You must not eat that. It is forbidden, it is not allowed.
•You don't have to eat that. You can if you want to, but it's not necessary.
 Using "Must" in Present, Past, and Future
Most modal verbs behave quite irregularly in the past and the future.
Modal Use Positive Forms Negative Forms Also use:
1. = Present 2. = Past 3. = Future 1. = Present 2. = Past 3. = Future
must 1. That must be Jerry. They said he was tall with bright 1. That must not be Jerry. He is supposed to have red hair. have to
certainty red hair. 2. That must not have been the right restaurant. I guess
2. That must have been the right restaurant. There are there is another one around here somewhere.
no other restaurants on this street.
3. NO FUTURE FORM 3.------------------------------------
must not You must not swim in that river. It's full of crocodiles.
prohibition You must not forget to take your malaria medication while
your are in the tropics.
Prohibition usually refer to the near future.
must 1. You must take some time off and get some rest. 1. You mustn't drink so much. It's not good for your health. should
strong
recommendation 2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" 2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD"
You should have taken some time off last week to get You shouldn't have drunk so much. That caused the
Americans some rest. accident.
prefer
"should." 3. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" 3. SHIFT TO "SHOULD"
You should take some time off next week to get some You shouldn't drink at the party. You are going to be the
rest. designated driver.
must 1. You must have a permit to enter the national park. 1. SHIFT TO "HAVE TO" have to
necessity We don't have to get a permit to enter the national park.
2. SHIFT TO "HAVE TO"
Americans We had to have a permit to enter the park. 2. SHIFT TO "HAVE TO"
prefer We didn't have to get a permit to enter the national park.
"have to." 3. We must get a permit to enter the park next week.
3. SHIFT TO "HAVE TO"
We won't have to get a permit to enter the national park.
Have to & Needn’t
 Have To
"Have to" is used to express certainty, necessity, and obligation.
Have to is NOT an auxiliary verb (the verb have is used as a main verb).

Structure of have to
Have to is often grouped with modal auxiliary verbs for convenience, but in fact it
is not a modal verb. It is not even an auxiliary verb. In the have to structure,
"have" is a main verb.
The basic structure for have to is:
subject + auxiliary verb + have + to-infinitive

Have to for objective obligation

We often use have to to say that something is obligatory, for example:
•Children have to go to school.
We can use the have to expression in all tenses, for example: he has to, he had
to, he has had to, he will have to.
 Use of have to

In general, have to expresses impersonal obligation. The subject of have to is obliged

or forced to act by a separate, external power (for example, the Law or school rules).
Have to is objective.

Examples

• In France, you have to drive on the right.

• In England, most schoolchildren have to wear a uniform.

• John has to wear a tie at work.

In each of the above cases, the obligation is not the subject's opinion or idea. The
obligation comes from outside.
 Needn't

Needn't is the short form of need not; it's used to talk about past events, but there is
sometimes a difference in use. When we say that someone needn't have done
something, it means that they did it, but it was not necessary.
Didn't (don't need to) is also sometimes used in this way: You needn't have
washed the dishes.

Examples

•You needn't come until later.

•You needn't do the washing up.
•We needn't take coats with us.
•Tom needn't come if he doesn't want to.
•Diabetes needn't mean you can't enjoy your food.
•We needn't tidy up until tomorrow.